Rubick - No Game Lies Beyond Your Grasp

This is an in-depth guide on how to build and play your support safe-lane Rubick.

Introduction

Rubick is one of the most versatile supports in the game, he is able to adapt to most games you'll play. He's a fun Hero to play and hard to master, Rubick requries knowledge of all the Heroes in Dota 2 to be most succesfull, but he is certainly worth the time to master.

In this guide i'll do my best to show the best items purchaseable for Rubick as a 3-4 position Support/Utility Hero. As well as show differet ways to combine his abilities to adapt your specific game.

Before we start, i've made a copy of this guide so you can use it in-game the link is here:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1304813224

Basic Informatrion:

580 HP and 399 MP
44-54 Damage
1,33 Armor

19 strength with 1.8 STR gained/level
24 agility with 1.6 AGI gained/level
27 intelligence with 2.4 INT gained/level

Additional Stats

Movement Speed 290
Sight Range 1800(day) / 800(night)
Attack range 550 (ranged)
Attack Duration 0.4 (Attack Point) + 0.77 (Backswing)
Cast Duartion 0.1 (Cast Point) + 1.17 (Backswing)
Base Attack Time 1.7
Turn Rate 0,5

What does this mean?
Rubick does not seem to be the best Hero stats wise, since his stat gain is mediocre, he has average Vision range and a standard Attack range for a Intelligence Support Hero coupled with his Movement speed that is a little lower than average and low Healthpool with low Armor.
So why would you play this Hero if he is so bad stat wise?

Because Rubicks abilities are so powerful they make up for the terrible stats by far.
Besides, we will go for items that counteract Rubicks weak sides. like tankability and mobility.

Lore

Any mage can cast a spell or two, and a few may even study long enough to become a wizard, but only the most talented are allowed to be recognized as a Magus. Yet as with any sorcerer’s circle, a sense of community has never guaranteed competitive courtesy.
Already a renowned duelist and scholar of the grander world of sorcery, it had never occurred to Rubick that he might perhaps be Magus material until he was in the midst of his seventh assassination attempt. As he casually tossed the twelfth of a string of would-be killers from a high balcony, it dawned on him how utterly unimaginative the attempts on his life had become. Where once the interruption of a fingersnap or firehand might have put a cheerful spring in his step, it had all become so very predictable. He craved greater competition. Therefore, donning his combat mask, he did what any wizard seeking to ascend the ranks would do: he announced his intention to kill a Magus.

Rubick quickly discovered that to threaten one Magus is to threaten them all, and they fell upon him in force. Each antagonist's spell was an unstoppable torrent of energy, and every attack a calculated killing blow. But very soon something occurred that Rubick's foes found unexpected: their arts appeared to turn against them. Inside the magic maelstrom, Rubick chuckled, subtly reading and replicating the powers of one in order to cast it against another, sowing chaos among those who had allied against him. Accusations of betrayal began to fly, and soon the sorcerers turned one upon another without suspecting who was behind their undoing.

When the battle finally drew to a close, all were singed and frozen, soaked and cut and pierced. More than one lay dead by an ally’s craft. Rubick stood apart, sore but delighted in the week’s festivities. None had the strength to argue when he presented his petition of assumption to the Hidden Council, and the Insubstantial Eleven agreed as one to grant him the title of Grand Magus.

Skills

Telekinesis

Rubick uses his telekinetic powers to lift the enemy into the air briefly and then hurls them back at the ground. The unit lands on the ground with such force that it stuns nearby enemies.



Cast Range: 550/575/600/625 (Talent 650/675/700/725)
Stun Radius: 325
Lift duration: 1.5/1.75/2/2.25
Stun duration: 1/1.25/1.5/1.75
Cooldown 22 (Talent 5) Mana 125
Blocked by Linken's Sphere. Blocked completely if primary target is Linken's holder. No interactions otherwise.

Notes:
-The lift duration consists of 1.2/1.45/1.7/1.95 seconds static air time and 0.3 seconds landing time.
-The lifted unit is stunned while in air and is not affected by the area stun upon landing.
-When the lift ends prematurely, the lifted unit instantly lands and applies the area stun.

Fade Bolt

Rubick creates a powerful stream of arcane energy that travels between enemy units, dealing damage and reducing their attack damage. Each jump deals less damage.




Cast Range: 800
Bounce Distance: 440
Number of Bounces: Infinite
Base Damage: 80/160/240/320
Bounce Damage Reduction: 4%
Hero Attack Damage Reduction: 20/25/30/35 (Talent 55/60/65/70)
Creep Attack Damage Reduction: 10/13/15/17
Duration: 10
Cooldown 16/14/12/10 Mana 120/130/140/150
Blocked by Linken's Sphere. Blocked completely when holder is primary target. Not blocked for secondary targets.

Notes:
-Does not bounce on invisible units or units in the Fog of War.
-Can never hit the same unit twice per cast.
-Counts illusions, Lone Druid's Spirit Bear, Warlock's Golem and Storm and Fire from Primal Split as heroes.

Null Field

Rubick's mastery of the arcane creates an aura that nullifies nearby enemy senses or increases his own. Can be toggled offensively or defensively to reduce enemy magic resistance or increase allied magic resistance.



Radius: 1200
Magic Resistance Bonus: 10%/14%/18%/22% (Talent 15%/19%/23%/27%)

Notes:
-Null Field is an aura and its buff lingers for 0.5 seconds.
-Stacks multiplicatively with other sources of magic resistance and reduction.

Spell Steal

Rubick studies the trace magical essence of one enemy hero, learning the secrets of the last spell the hero cast. Rubick can use this spell as his own for several minutes or until he dies.



Cast Range: 1000* (Talent 1100)
Spell Duration: 180/240/300
Cooldown 20/18/16 (2*) Mana 25
Can be Improved by Aghanim's Scepter (* shows the improved values). Reduces cooldown and increases cast range. Stolen spell receives Aghanim's Scepter upgrade.

Notes:
-The stolen spell travels as a projectile towards Rubick at a speed of 900. Rubick gains the spell as the projectile reaches him.
-Cannot steal passive abilities, item abilities, active attack modifier. Can only steal from heroes.
-Cannot steal the following spells: Quas, Wex, Exort, Invoke, Telekinesis, Fade Bolt and Spell Steal.
-Always steals the current level of the last cast spell, not on the level the spell was as it was cast the last time.
-Rubick has an instant cast time for all stolen spells, except for: Assassinate, Requiem of Souls, Teleportation, Poof, Stasis Trap and Remote Mines.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Versatile: Rubick is one of the most versatile Heroes in the game, his skills makes it possible for him to adapt to almost every game.
  
• Unpredictable: A big thing about Rubick is his ability to be unpridictable, with a few mobility items he can be right there in the thick of it and steal whatever spell is most usefull to counter the enemy.
  
• Synergy: Rubick is one of those Heroes that just Synergise with everyone, this makes him strong in almost every line-up.
  
• High Reward: The thing about Rubick is that he rewards players for having a speciel set of abilities:
  
  -Reflexes: If you have the Reflexes to steal a usefull spell before the Enemy Hero can use another, you are on your way to become a great Rubick player. A part of this skill is to react on the Enemy Hero's Animations, most Heroes have Animations on their skills and memorizing those Animations are key to stealing them!
  
  -Psychology: Theres an aspect of Psychology to every Hero in the game, but Rubick uses alot of it with his Spell Steal. If you can set yourself in your Enemies Head and see what they will do you can play around it. Another thing is to Manipulate the Enemy into doing what you want them to do, like Baiting them into Rosh and ambushing them or making them Group up in a bad position by placing wards where you know they have True Sight.
  
  -Map Awareness: Great Rubick players know the importance of Map Awareness, this means to always have an eye on the Minimap, have Vision at all times and carry a TP-scroll at all times.
  
  -Enemy Hero Understandment: Rubick is with no doubt a unique Hero, the thing that makes him the most unique is the fact that he depends on his Enemies to be good. If you play against all Passive Heroes like: Wraith King, Faceless Void and Viper theres little thing you can play with. Of course you have Spells you can steal but your Enemy knows that and are therefore at even ground with you. But if you play against Heroes with a bigger arsenal of Spells there's more you can do and more Combo's your Enemy needs to bear in mind.

Cons:

• Squishy: Rubick has a low HP-pool at all times and is an easy target for gankers that can play around his Spell Steal
  
• Enemy Depentant: Rubick needs versatile Enemies to be versatile himself, he is the most enemy reliant Hero in the game by far. This is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact Rubick's strength comes from his Enemies, it's just something you should keep in mind when picking him, if the Enemy has more spells that counters you than you counter them, dont pick him. Of course there's Heroes that fall into both categories, Doom and Death Prophet are good examples of that.
  
• Somewhat Item Depentant: Rubick is, as said before, Squishy. Therefore, he needs items to make him more surviveable, not tanky! surviveable! we dont get Items like Bloodstone and Likens Sphere if we can avoid it, we get Mobility. Mobility Mo' Problems (For the Enemy that is!)

Skill Builds and Talent discussion

The Standard Build







There's not really a standard Ability Build for Rubick, but if there was this would probably come closest, it has Telekinesis in level 1 for First Blood purposes and maxes Fade Bolt at level 7 for Damage and overall Lane Control. This is the Build you would go in most cases.


You can also max Null Field after putting a level into Telekinesis, this is a build i find myself going quite a lot if either team is heavy on magical damage.


This is the talent build i mosty go these. For the explanation for my choices in talents check the in-game Skill Build.

Starting Items

This here is the items you should buy at the start of the game




Go Wards or the Courier




The two Ironwood Branches can be build into a Mekansm or Wand later on

Core Items

Since you're the 4th or 3rd position you shouldn't buy the Flying Courier unless you have to, focus instead on getting those Arcane boots for the mid game




This is the boots of choice for Rubick, you will be able to get these within 10 min or so depending on your lane and kills.




The First item you buy is the Force Staff, you can get this fairly early in the Mid-game and will give you many possibilities for engagements and escapes.




The Blink Dagger is the Cherry on the top, it will make you very hard to kill combined with Force Staff. Use this to stay out of range from Enemies and then Blink in and steal the most usefull spells or use the one you already have.

Situational Items

Lets say that you now have finished your Cores Item Build this is what your Inventory will look like:







Just to throw it out there, when i play Position 3 Rubick, this is the build i go after in most cases:







Now you only have 2 item slots left in your inventory, witch means they have to bring something great to the team. Let's see what you have to work with.

Mekansm is a great item for Rubick it makes you more survivbeable while still supporting your team. I'd go this item if i was at Position 4 right after i get my Arcanes. If i was Position 3, i wouldn't get this since you'll be more beneficial to your team with some mobility.



Eul's is a great item, it gives you more Mobility and gives you a great Disable you can use on yourself for evading projectiles and on Enemies for the 2.5 sec Banisment. The 2.5 sec Banishment can be used as a set-up, if you have a stun that is hard to land, like: Leshrac's Split Earth or Mirana's Sacred Arrow, or if the Enemy has a hero that is build around chase or catching you out of position like Bounty Hunter, Nyx Assassin, Riki or Wisp, you can use the 2.5 sec Banishment as a chance to Teleport away. This is best for the 4th Position if you need a little surviveablity or ganking potenciel, if you're Position 3, join me in the next item on the list.




This is a great item for Rubick gives him stats witch is something he can use drastically. And since of Update 6.83 gives his Spell Steal a Cooldown of only 2 Sec and a range of 1600! That is huge. It is truely a powerfull item, but it becomes best if the enemy has 3 or more spells upgradeable by Aghs Scepter, witch is easily possible considering Ice Frog loves to add those Upgrades in the New updates. Also i would only buy this if i'm the 3rd Position.



Again, great item for Rubick more Disables and the stats are not to be taken lightly. This is a choice every game for Position 3 and 4 alike but its not likely that Position 4 Rubick will ever get money to buy this.




This is a more situational item for Rubick, if they have a nasty Nuker or Caster that counters you, either with a Silence or just a long ass stun, you can get this.





Pipe of insight is a powerfull item, it gives you great amount of Magic Resistance that stacks with your Null Field and the Teamfight contribution is just boderline broken against some line-ups. Position 3 and 4 can benefit greatly from this, just remember that many heroes in the game goes Pipe of Insight as a Core item, so ask before you start building it.




Well Dagon is certainly a situational item, but a usefull finisher if you have Orchid Malevolence, i'd take Dagon if i was Position 3, went Orchid Malevolence and didn't need any other item on the list. In most cases i'd pick Scythe of Vyse over this, but if you're stomping and there's no stopping that, then go right ahead.




Refresher Orb is the most situational item on the list, you should only buy this if you have at least one wother item on the list like Orchid, Dagon or Schythe of Vyse and if you know for certain that you can steal a usefull spell like Black Hole or Ravage. This kinda goes without saying, but ONLY buy this if you're Position 3



Vlads is good if you have a melee Carry that could benefit from some Lifesteal but cant use a Unique Attack Modifier slot on it. Also good if you need to sustain Pushes and are fighting against Mega Creeps. I'd pick this up if i was Position 4 not Position 3.



These are for the Position 3 and 4 alike because, if the enemy has invisibility you need to spread the detection out across the team so the enemy has to kill more than 1 to make certain they can use their invisibility. Also plant the Sentry Wards in the middle of the engagement, it increases the chance for you being able to see witch way the Enemy went when you try and kill them.

Allies - Friends wait for me

Every Hero in the game can work well with Rubick, and that's because Rubick's useability depends on his Enemies. But anyone that has pressence in the laneing phase and have an Early-Game Combo they can use to deal damage to Enemies can lane with Rubick. Some good examples would be:

















Thought the Ultimate lane with Rubick has to go to Meepo, Telekinesis into Earthbind, Fade Bolt and Poof is a Combo only few can survive.

Enemies

So Rubick as said many times before relies on his Enemies to be good. But witch Heroes doesn't give Rubick any chance?

Nyx doesn't give a ♥♥♥♥ about your Spell Steal, he kills you before you even realize he was there.






Now Pudge and Rubick has a Love/Hate relationship, he counters you in the fact that he can Hook you and kill you before you can cast any spell. But if you have the Reflexes we talked about earlier, you may escape as well as steal his Hook, and if you steal his Hook, you counter each other. :D
The same goes with Doom btw. ;)



No list of counters to a spellcaster without the Ruiner of Fun himself Anti-Mage. Yes you can disable him and steal his Blink, But he can Blink after you and End you with his Mana Break.






A special room on this list goes to the Excellence of Silences, Silencer. He counters Rubick so hard, and so does all other Silences in the game, be it from Items or Heroes.
#♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Conclusion

This was my Guide to Rubick, Feel free to ask Questions and post what you wish to be changed in comments, just keep in mind this is my first Guide and English isn't my main language.

With that said thanks for reading hope you learned something and feel better at Rubick already. :)

[ehh Pumbaa]

cool ty

[76561198110883370]

We have the same build its a very cool build keep up the good work

[Blessed from above]

good

[Frelseren]

Hey everyone, thank you for the rates and the views i really appreciate it. :) I've made a new section in the guide called "Examples of Gameplay" as a early Christmas present. ;)
Happy Hollidays to y'all!

[J.O.Y Cosmic]

nice guide. help me how to play rubick and what item should i buy

[Frelseren]

@yes @Roshan Cheesemaster I've made a few changes to some of the items, and the description in the Item justification section.

[Meme Lord Stranger]

@yes

Here is an example what you can use it for.
When your blink is on cooldown for 2 seconds and you are being chased,USE EUL
wait for eul to stop and then blink,thats what i always do.

[ุ]

Really detailed and easy to read, but you should add more descriptions to your builds, such as how euls is effective and in what situation. For example, how do I know that the active for euls is useful to me at all?

[Chad++]

10/10 raised my MMR by 7000 after I read the guide